April 2nd 2026
Tom Bellamy is riding the crest of it: a breakthrough Cheltenham Festival winner on White Noise in the Grade Two Ryanair Mares’ Novice Hurdle, another Grade Two on Charisma Cat at Newbury, a treble yesterday taking him to 58 for the season — his best since 2022 — and a mother who’s ensured he’s now being pursued with more enthusiasm than either horse.
Georgia Cox in conversation with Tom asks the questions:
“I think we’ll start with your breakthrough Cheltenham Festival winner. You were speechless straight after — have you found the words yet?”
“It’s hard to put into words. It was just an incredible childhood dream, genuinely. Every jockey goes through some tough times — it’s not an easy job. But it made them all seem like a distant memory. When you’re in those tough times, you think days like that are never going to happen. So yeah, it was a bit of a relief, but just so special really”.
“You said you used to bunk off school to get to the Festival. Now you’ve got that elusive win, was it everything you imagined as that kid on the rail?”
“Yeah, and some more. It was pretty cool. I’ve had winners at Cheltenham before but not at the Festival, and it’s a special place no matter what time of year — but there’s something a little bit different about March”.
“Did the flag starts and everything around them put a divide between the Irish and English jockeys as the tension rose?”
“No, not really. Nico and Declan Queally blew over fairly quickly — just heat‑of‑the‑moment stuff. There was no divide at all. There’s your normal rivalry, everyone’s against each other. The starts are the starts — I don’t know what the answer is — but there certainly wasn’t a divide. We do have a good laugh in the weighing room, but at Cheltenham the competition is so fierce. I’m not saying it’s dog‑eat‑dog, but once you’re out there, the laugh is over”.
“You’ve had seven Grade Two winners now. Could either White Noise or Charisma Cat be the one to take you up another level to Grade One company?”
“I hope so. I’ve probably got the best group of horses I’ve ever had to ride. They both won their races well, and if one can take that step up to Grade One company that would be huge. It’s been a great year — the next thing to tick off is a Grade One. I’m hopeful it’ll happen soon, but it’s one step at a time. As long as they keep winning, I don’t really mind what level it’s at”.
“Your mother’s interview (Sue Bellamy) has probably gained more publicity than your season. How many followers have you picked up since that?”
“Yeah, it was funny. She was actually put up to it by Matt Chapman — he’s obsessed with my love life for whatever reason. I don’t think she knew what was going to happen after. She has Facebook but she’s not really into social media. It got a lot of traction, but if racing is in the news for good reasons, no one’s going to complain”.
“My phone was blowing up, but I didn’t actually know until Little Jonjo came over and said, “Have you seen this?” — something like Jockey’s mum roasts him just after his big moment. So yes, plenty of new followers — she did my popularity a few favours. I haven’t found a girlfriend yet, but I’m not in too much of a rush”.
“She was actually really embarrassed about the whole thing. She went into her local Co‑op and two people said, “That’s that woman who did the interview.” She felt like she took away from the day, but she didn’t — she made it”.
“She’ll probably keep away from Matt Chapman in future then”.
“Bloody right she will, yeah”.
“A career‑best season — you’re on 58 winners, your best since 2022. What do you put that down to?”
“I’m riding more this season and for people who are in great form. I had the Kim Bailey and Matt Nicholls job last year, but I’ve been riding a lot more for Alan King this year too. So I’ve basically got more bullets to fire — and better bullets”.
“I was hopeful it would be my best season once I knew that was going to be the case, but you still have to go and do it, don’t you? The two big yards I ride for have different types of horses at the moment, so I’m hopeful going forward that there won’t be millions of clashes. When the ground is deep in winter, Kim Bailey and Matt Nicholls seem to be busier, and when it dries up a bit, that’s when Kingy’s come in more — or that’s how it seems with the horses they have at the moment. It’s just the way it’s unfolded, which works perfectly for me. It’s kept me very busy, that’s for sure”.
“A treble yesterday on top of everything — I bet you don’t want the season to end?”
“It’s been an incredible month. The most winners I’d had in a month before was 11 — this month I’ve had 17, and we still have a week to go. I’ve been pinching myself, and there have been some big ones in there too. You end up getting greedy — you just keep wanting more. It’s been phenomenal.
People say luck is only a small part of it, but you do feel lucky when things go like this. Jockeys all work hard — no one works harder than anyone else — and you do need that element of luck. It makes all the hard days worthwhile”.
“Just looking on your Instagram, you jump jockeys look like you have a good laugh, doing plenty for social media. Do you like that side of it?”
“Yeah, things are different these days. You’re almost the outcast if you don’t get involved. Jockeys are more accessible now, which is lovely. People feel like they know us and our personalities a bit more. You go back to AP — I bet no one felt like they knew him. Now you look at Sean Bowen and everyone knows what he’s like, and he’s good fun. It can only be a good thing for the sport. If people feel like they can relate to someone, it gives them more reason to follow. It builds a better connection between the public and racing”.
“You’ve had two proper injuries in the past year — how did you cope with that?”
“Oaksey House is my local centre. Gone are the days when jockeys got injured, sat in the pub until they felt better, and then rode again. Now we’re doing it properly — with the right advice, the fitness side, the medical side. They cater for everything we could possibly need at our lowest times. They’ll get you back as quick as possible — but sensibly. They put you to work — you come out with achy legs — and they make sure you come back stronger. They know what’s best for you and lay it all out, so you just have to get on with it and get over the injury as fast as you can. Everyone is so welcoming and they want the best for you. Having such a nice atmosphere there makes the whole process a lot easier”.
Georgia Cox writing for the Injured Jockeys Fund